The Tempest
by Claudia Crazyfangirl
Summary: "She felt the water droplets trickling down her face, washing away the tears and sticking to her auburn strands. And suddenly, out of nowhere, she wanted to cut it. Cut her hair." Will a simple haircut turn Lily Evans's not-so-pleasant night into a memorable one? [Lily/James One-shot]


**The Tempest**

**Disclaimer** – None of these characters that I drool over belong to me. All credits go to the mighty J.K Rowling. Please contact her for giving your praises. And if you can, let me know how to do it, too.

**A/N – **Yes, I do realize that I have other stories which badly need my attention and time, but well…honestly, I just couldn't help myself. I suddenly found myself opening a document and typing this in. So here you are, a Jily one-shot which I hadn't even planned on writing. Hope you guys like it. Enjoy.

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><p>"I've had <em>enough!<em> I'm leaving!" Her voice was angry, broken, and tired as she screamed. With a final—it _was _final—glare at her so-called sister, she turned on her heel, stomping down the hall, her vision blurred by tears.

"No one _ever _asked you to stay here, you witch! Go kill yourself, for all I care!" Her sister's shrill voice followed her the entire way, compelling her to take a deep breath and not run back to apologize. No, she wouldn't…she would never again apologize. Lily barely winced when she heard the sound of breaking China, a proof of her sister's wrath. With long, purposeful strides, she grabbed her coat from the cupboard and walked out into the pouring rain, making sure to slam the door hard enough behind herself.

It was getting difficult. Petunia was behaving outright hostile. Did she really mean what she said…? No. _No_, she wouldn't think about it. She did not care.

Wrapping her coat around herself, she started walking….somewhere. Did it matter? Would anyone care if she died? Petunia would be glad, at least. And maybe she herself would be happy, as well. Happy to be where her parents were. Lily sighed, and it was only when she felt the saltiness on her tongue that she realized that it wasn't the rain.

She was crying, again.

The realization hit her hard. _Shit shit shit_! She wasn't supposed to cry. Not after all this time. But it was too late. The revelation had her hugging herself, crying even more. _No no no. Stop stop stop._ Oh god, it was so frustrating! She felt the water droplets trickling down her face, washing away the tears and sticking to her auburn strands.

And suddenly, out of nowhere, she wanted to cut it. Cut her hair.

The idea—for some reason or another—was extremely appealing. Liberating.

But where was she? Lily whipped her head around, her breathing harsh and desperate. She was lost. The rain was falling hard and angry on the cobblestones, soaking her to the bones. She ran her fingers through her wet hair, strangely contemplative—how much would she cut? Would she leave it shoulder-length? Or maybe shorter? Did it matter?

Did _anything _matter?

Lily suddenly gasped in surprise, tripping over an uneven cobblestone as she stumbled forward.

"Whoa! Steady!" a warm, concerned voice greeted her ears as she felt someone grab her upper arms. "Are you okay?" he asked, and she looked up to find kind hazel eyes staring down at her worriedly.

"Y-yes." Her teeth were chattering. She did not realize she was cold. "Yes, thank you. Sorry. I-I just wasn't l-looking where—um, th-thank you." She made to push past him, a light blush blooming on her cheeks. He was quite good-looking. And she was…well, grimy at the moment.

"Hey!" He called again, and she just couldn't help turning around. "You sure you're fine?" His brow was furrowed.

"Yes." Lily tried to smile, hoping that it didn't look as fake as she felt. "Yes, p-positive." She nodded, turning around to leave again. Suddenly she stopped, bit her lip, and looked back at the man. He was really tall, lean, and his dark hair was sticking to his forehead sloppily. He honestly _was _very attractive. Beautiful, even. She blushed again. Would it hurt to try? He didn't seem like a bad guy.

"Um…are you…uh, f-free right now?" Lily asked hopefully.

He finally smirked, and if she hadn't been in such a mood, maybe—_maybe_—she would have swooned.

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><p>"Not to be a party-pooper or anything, but when you had asked your question, I didn't think this was what you had in mind." He said wryly, giving her an amused smile.<p>

"Uh, well," She blinked guiltily, glancing at the entrance of the salon in anticipation. "I was lost and I really wanted to get a haircut, so…"

"Why?" he asked, looking genuinely confused. "You have beautiful hair."

"Oh." She flushed crimson, tugging on the sleeve of his jacket—the one he had insisted she wear lest she die of Pneumonia. _Fuck, he was charming._ "Thank you. But…I just need a haircut. Some personal reasons." _Like crazy impulsive decisions_, Lily thought dryly. "Think of it as a type of therapy, if you will." She shrugged.

"Hmm." He nodded. "So when was the breakup?"

"_What_?!" Lily's voice was incredulous, her eyes large. "What breakup?" _Oh, he better not be thinking…_

"Oh," He looked surprised. And then a little bashful. She stupidly found it endearing. "Sorry, I just thought—you were crying. Alone. And then you wanted a haircut. So I just assumed—Um, sorry. I guess I was obviously wrong." He gave her a crooked grin.

"Oh, Merlin, no." Lily laughed, shaking her head as she tried to ignore the delightful somersault her stomach gave at his smile. It felt nice to laugh again. She did not remember the last time she had. "I don't think I'll ever cut my hair because of a breakup! That is—um, is something wrong?" she halted.

He was staring at her with his mouth agape, looking shocked beyond words. Lily consciously touched her face with her hand, feeling incredibly uncomfortable under his gaze. After what felt like years, he finally spoke.

"You're a witch!" He whispered, hazel eyes large, surprised and excited.

"What?" Lily breathed. She felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her lungs. _Fuck fuck fuck_! "What are you talking about?"

"You _are_!" he was grinning now, confusing her to no end. "You just said 'Merlin'. You _have _to be!"

"Well…" What could she say? What was one supposed to do in such a situation? Could she _obliviate _him? Did she have the heart to? _No_. Hell, why was this man grinning so much anyway?

"Oh, don't worry." He waved his hand, as if answering her unasked question. "I'm a wizard, too. James Potter." He held out his hand, smiling broadly. Lily felt relief spread through her veins at his answer, and she smiled back easily.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Lily Evans."

"Pleasure is all mine." He winked, and she felt her heart thud at the action. _Oh shit, what was happening?_ "So, did you drag me all the way here to just stand outside the parlor?"

"Uh…you want to come inside?" She asked, surprise lacing her voice.

"Well, duh! Come on." He suddenly reached out and casually took her hand, leaving Lily blushing horrendously as he pushed open the glass doors to the parlor. _Damn, was he completely unaware of what he was doing?_

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><p>"So…what do you think?" Lily asked, chomping on her lip apprehensively as she stood wringing her hands. Her hair was cropped up to her chin, a fringe framing her face as she looked up at James. His face was perfectly blank as he examined her, not giving anything away. He slowly moved forward and took a lock of her hair between his fingers.<p>

Lily stopped breathing. He was too close.

"I love it." He said softly, staring at her. "It's sexy." He smirked, inevitably making her blush.

"Well," Lily cleared her throat, shifting from one foot to another. "Thank you. For everything." She said, feeling shy all of a sudden. _Merlin_, how much had she put this guy through? He deserved all the thanks in the world. He was with her, giving her compliments on her haircut, for crying out loud!

"So, what do say to a date, Lily?"

His question was so abrupt and unexpected that Lily's head snapped up, her mouth agape. "Huh?"

"A date." He grinned enigmatically, looking amused at her reaction. She blushed for the hundredth time.

"You want to go on a date with me? Now?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Yeah, I think I do." He held her hand again, and led her out into the streets once more.

"Look, James, I don't—" Lily hesitated. "Look at me. I'm so dirty right now. And wet." She raised her eyebrows pointedly. _Couldn't he see?_

"So am I." He simply answered with a shrug, tugging on her hand again.

"Yes, but—" she struggled to explain, sighing heavily. And then she blushed out of embarrassment. "You're…well, look at you! You look good even like this! It's not fair! I'm sure you'll find a thousand other girls _better _than me, who will go on a date with you—looking deserving of you." Her eyes traveled downwards, as if willing the earth to swallow her up.

Lily felt, rather than saw James move closer. And before she knew it, his fingers were tilting her chin up and his lips were brushing over hers. She grabbed his forearms tightly and kissed him back, feeling warmth spread all the way to her toes. All too soon, he pulled back and smiled at her. "You look beautiful." He breathed, tucking her recently cut hair behind her ear.

Lily smiled shyly, her face flushed, and a healthy glow on her face.

"I hope that was answer enough for you?" James teased, chuckling when she nodded slowly. "Can we go, then? And maybe you can tell me about this 'breakup' of yours." He held out his hand again.

And as Lily placed her hand in his, she realized that maybe—_maybe_—she was ready to swoon now.

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><p><strong>AN** – Yes, that's it. I know it's short and definitely not my best, but well, that's what happens when the writer makes a sudden decision to pour out everything on paper. Hope it was not too dreadful. I would really really love for you guys to leave me reviews. No matter what you want to say. I just had to do it—it was Jily overload for me. Thanks for reading. Buckets of love to everyone.

Claudia.


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